


Matrices

by DictionaryWrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-17 01:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2291507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DictionaryWrites/pseuds/DictionaryWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay, so, I missed yesterday and that's very naughty of me, but today comes the fic. Harry Potter mixed with The Matrix for Match-Up Month - it ended up Neville/Ron? I don't know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matrices

 “Hermione, I won't like it.” Ron says with a groan, and Hermione pinches the bridge of her nose, doing her very best not to snap at him. Harry laughs, slinging an arm around the taller man's shoulder and pulling him down.

“Ron, you'll love it.” Harry assures him, though in actual fact he's not completely certain. Ginny will like it, Luna will probably enjoy it, but Neville and Ron were definitely more unpredictable. But they'd wanted to go out _somewhere_ together, and Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione stood too much chance of being recognized in public if they'd done something magic.

So, the cinema.

Harry and Ginny are dressed all in black leather, just as some of the other Muggles waiting around – it had been a silly joke, but Ginny looks _good._ She wears a black turtleneck, neatly curled at her neck, her leather coat drawn around her shoulders, her trousers skinny and tugged into her boots.

Harry wears a tight t-shirt, and his leather jacket is too big for him because it used to be Sirius' and Harry is way too skinny even as he's packed on the muscle, but it still looks good on him. And sometimes, Harry imagines he can smell what Sirius had smelt like whenever the old man had pulled him in for a hug.

It's only fleetingly these days, though.

“Harry.” Luna says softly, and Harry glances to her, offering her a small, warm smile. “Look at that cat.” Harry follows Luna's gaze, and he sees the cat on the gutter of the building above. Tabby, grey and silver, and he frowns slightly, looking from her to the cat.

“Is that...?”

“I don't know, Harry.” Luna murmurs, and she slowly wraps her arms around Ginny's hips, leaning against the other woman with her lips twitching as Ginny curls her hands in the other's hair. “The concentration of Nargles indicates a yes, though.”

Harry looks to Hermione, who holds her tongue on the word of Nargles.

“We ready to go in?” He asks, and all of them, even Ron, nod grudgingly.

The film has been a favourite of Harry's since he's seen it – he'd watched it with Hermione and Ginny, all in front of the television in the little London flat Harry had started to rent a while ago. Luna had, inexplicably, seen it already too, and given that Xenophilius had confessed to having watched it religiously each year since it had come out, Harry had been a little scared to ask.

The Matrix.

Something about that – a big, sprawling master in control of everybody's actions, subtly manipulating and taking advantage of all those actions taken by humanity, well.

Harry identifies with it, just a little bit. It's the reason he's held off year after year before accepting the offer for him to join the Ministry and become an Auror – things in the wizarding world have changed in recent years, but not so fast as he'd have liked. Things like this don't change fast.

There's no Matrix to dismantle in this situation, unfortunately, but Harry has friends at his side, good friends, and he can participate in the fantasy with them.

The cinema is screening just the first old film, with the original reel, and they file in, settling in one of the middle rows, Luna and Ginny, Hermione then Neville, Ron and then Harry.

“What if I don't like it?” Ron asks, and Harry just looks at him.

“Then you won't like it.”

“Ron, it's not that long. Besides, they think there's chance we'll like it, or we wouldn't be invited.” Neville points out, and Ron huffs a little, crossing his arms. “It's political, right, Harry?”

“Yeah...” Harry says, and when Ron pulls a face, adds, “But it's mostly like, fighting against the man. And there's a lot of fighting scenes, a lot of like, cool dialogue. All the politics stuff is like, an underlying message?”

“Yeah!” Neville says, and Harry smiles at him. Neville has come on so much in the past few years, after all, and Harry does like the man.

\---

Ron, it turns out, did _not_ enjoy The Matrix. Luckily for him, however, Neville had been so rapt that he didn't push Ron off when he fell asleep on the other man's shoulder.

Harry is slow about waking his friend up, and Ron groans, rubbing at his eyes. “Good film, Ron?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ron mumbles, and he wraps his arms around Neville again, leaning heavily on him, and Neville laughs, pulling the taller man up a little by the hips. His hand lingers on the tentacle-scarred flesh of Ron's wrist, just for a second, and sleepily, Ron drops forwards, pressing his lips to Neville's.

Harry stares, his eyes wide behind his glasses, as Neville ends up with his hands in Ron's red hair, kissing him back, and then he draws back.

Ron leans heavily on Neville, and then says, staring at the carpet, “Whoa.” Neville swallows, and Harry awkwardly leans forwards, looking at the girls, each of whom look equal parts amused and a _bit_ shocked.

“Shall we, uh, leave you two a little privacy? It's a bit public, but-”

“Shut up, Harry.” Ron mutters, and he elbows the other man in the side, flushing red and making his freckles connect. Harry worries, for a second, and then sees the way Neville is looking at his face. Neville looks-

Well. Nothing short of charmed.

No. No, those two will be fine.


End file.
